Riding in the wind....

[Scamp]

Does riding in the wind ever get easier? There's been a little bit of wind over the past 6 weeks (how long I've been behind the controls) and none of it seemed that bad, but today I felt like I was being pushed backwards. I had to give it more juice and then I felt like I couldn't hold my lines on corners.

Any advice for the newbie?

[ArcherWC]

unfortunatly you just have to lean into it, and try to anticipate the gusts. The good news is, that when you graduate to a bigger bike, it wont get blown around as much.

If it is too bad and you are on the motorway, you can seek shelter beside a truck or other big vehicle

[KLOWN]

it gets easier. do a search for wind there are a few threads on how to cope with it.

[Nasty]

Does riding in the wind ever get easier? There's been a little bit of wind over the past 6 weeks (how long I've been behind the controls) and none of it seemed that bad, but today I felt like I was being pushed backwards. I had to give it more juice and then I felt like I couldn't hold my lines on corners.


bear with it dude .. things do improve . .the wind we are having now is quite seasonal and will settle just before/as the rain sets it and it is more fun riding in the rain :)

Try leaning into it ... as ArcherWC says .. it does help .. I also found that the backroads were better on a bad day .. and avoiding the motorways . .which in the hutt is hard to do :)

[apteryx_haasti]

it gets easier. do a search for wind there are a few threads on how to cope with it.

It does get easier - especially if you commute the same route every day you will learn where on your route to anticipate wind gusts depending on which way it's blowing.

Some hot spots (which I have on my route):

-on the motorway coming past the ferry terminals
-petone foreshore (in a northerlie it's gusts from every cross street)
-eastbourne road (the apex of corners in a Northerly always has a goodly gust)

etc.

I also learned a lot from this thread when I was just starting:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=30616

Good luck and don't panic!

A_H

[skelstar]

Theres been a few threads on KB about this. Have a search around Survival Skills forum. :niceone:

[Scamp]

It does get easier - especially if you commute the same route every day you will learn where on your route to anticipate wind gusts depending on which way it's blowing.

Some hot spots (which I have on my route):

-on the motorway coming past the ferry terminals

Good luck and don't panic!

A_H

Thanks for the advice. I felt much more comfortable on the way home. Took it easy, used the whole lane. Even took the long way home around the bays to get a little more experience out there. Only got caught out a little in one place - coming off the motorway at Aotea Quay, I expected the gusts to reduce but instead it went totally still. Worst wind was at the round-abouts by the airport, but made it round them okay too.

I'm pleased that I'm getting the chance to get some experience before I have to cope with the wind AND wet.

[Dodger]

-on the motorway coming past the ferry terminals


Yep, gets a little windy around there,
also depends on the bike a bit.

A few weeks ago I was on a borrowed GN250, and the wind was blowing me all over the place, nothing like what I get on my GT250.
I've also heard that faired bikes can act like a sail at times.
(personally I like my bikes like my women... naked:bleh:)

[idleidolidyll]

Does riding in the wind ever get easier? There's been a little bit of wind over the past 6 weeks (how long I've been behind the controls) and none of it seemed that bad, but today I felt like I was being pushed backwards. I had to give it more juice and then I felt like I couldn't hold my lines on corners.

Any advice for the newbie?

sure, it gets easier as you get thinner............or harder as you get fatter

my advice is to always travel in the same direction as the wind, you'll never even notice it

[KLOWN]

Yep, gets a little windy around there,
also depends on the bike a bit.

A few weeks ago I was on a borrowed GN250, and the wind was blowing me all over the place, nothing like what I get on my GT250.
I've also heard that faired bikes can act like a sail at times.
(personally I like my bikes like my women... naked:bleh:)

isn't that I like my bikes like i like my woman, .... hoe bags. (or hyobag)

[Dodger]

isn't that I like my bikes like i like my woman, .... hoe bags. (or hyobag)

Don't think the wife would like me calling her that. :crazy:

[Lissa]

You sound just like me when I was starting out... which wasnt too long ago. :)

The first time I rode on a really windy day it was also pelting down with rain. The wind was hitting me from the sides and I had to get from Carterton to Masterton, leaning all the way, trying to keep my bike in a straight line.... I must of looked a sight.. and I freaked out, but I made it.

Last night I went up the Takas, it was blowing so bad, I actually got up the hill before someone else who had a fared bigger bike... but now the wind doesnt really bother me at all.... its just a confidence and practice thing, you will get there.

Try riding (practice) in all sorts of weather, because oneday you maybe stuck out in it... and you have to get home. It might start out a brilliant sunny day and then later on its windy or raining etc.... well thats the way I think about it. :)

[Pwalo]

Keep on riding. In a couple of weeks you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Like everything, the more you practice the better you get.

Apparently.

[Meekey_Mouse]

Keep on riding. In a couple of weeks you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Like everything, the more you practice the better you get.

Apparently.

Agreed :yes:

As others have said... there are quite a few threads about this. I can remember reading one when I first started ( Like Lissa, not that long ago), It was really good to read as at that time I was having trouble riding in wind.

My GSX that I had at the time was a brick in the wind... it was heavy, but got blown around A LOT! For that bike I found it was best to try and relax, lean into the wind a little bit but, really focus on where you are going.
For the times when the wind got too strong I found leaning onto the tank helped, I don't know if that is the "correct" thing to do or not :shutup: but it saved me going off the road :Punk:

Keep on ridin' :rockon:

Jas

[TerminalAddict]

eat more pies.
less likely to get blown about then :yes:

[idleidolidyll]

eat more pies.
less likely to get blown about then :yes:

hmmm, obesity and the windjammer effect.............................eat less pies and hunker down son

[Hawkeye]

Stop being a wimp Scamp and become an all weather rider instead of a fine weather rider:bleh:

(something tells me I'm going to pay for that comment when I get to work tomorrow!)

Anticipation is what's required. You do learn to read the wind the more you ride in it. Let's face it. 6 weeks in the saddle and you have already ridden in a track day. Before you know it you will not even think twice about the wind.

[Scamp]

Try riding (practice) in all sorts of weather, because oneday you maybe stuck out in it... and you have to get home. :)

Thanks for the advice. That was pretty much what I was thinking yesterday morning when I decided to take my bike to work. And even though some of the gusts were pretty scary, I did what everyone suggested, and hey surprise surprise, it worked and I made it home safely.

[Scamp]

Stop being a wimp Scamp and become an all weather rider instead of a fine weather rider:bleh:



Thanks for the moral support there Hawkeye :dodge: :)

[skelstar]

Scamp: have a read of this (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=18434&highlight=Windy+road) thread. Its a 'report' of my crashing in the Rimutakas last year. Im pretty sure thats theres some good advice in there somewhere.

[judecatmad]

Does riding in the wind ever get easier? There's been a little bit of wind over the past 6 weeks (how long I've been behind the controls) and none of it seemed that bad, but today I felt like I was being pushed backwards. I had to give it more juice and then I felt like I couldn't hold my lines on corners.

Any advice for the newbie?

Yes, it gets easier :)

I moved down from Auckland in January last year and didn't ride for 6 months - mostly cos of not being able to get the bike out of the shed of the house we lived in at that time, but also because of the wind.

The couple of times I did take the bike out, I was almost in tears riding along SH1 up to Plimmerton and back to Porirua. Was so scared of the buffeting I was getting.

But I have to be honest and say that, whilst it's never EASY, it does get easier to deal with. You learn your best way of riding in windy conditions. Try tips that people offer you. Eventually you will find what works best for you.

Stick with it :D

[Scamp]

Stick with it :D

That's exactly what I plan on doing.

Sitting on the back of a rocket ship is fun, but being behind the controls is BETTER. It'll take something pretty major for me to give this up. :yes:

[sunhuntin]

it gets easier. the higher the speed, the better off you are. [or the higher the revs.] some have mentioned sticking a knee out on the wind side, but its never worked for me. sports bikes may be different.

i used the foxton strait as my playground when it came to wind. use the whole lane, and let the bike lead. i trusted the bike to do what she needed, i only intervened when the center line started appearing on the wrong side of me. :dodge:
now, i love it. headwind is still a challenge, but its bearable. look at where shurbs and buildings are, and be prepared to be blown suddenly in either direction. same for bridges, or near water

i remember having to ride at 110k down south [as opposed to my preferred 80k] simply to keep from going into a ditch. [was between dunners and invers.] and also when heading north from invers, riding along a bit of road that was "wall" on one side, and gully on the other. the wind was whipping up the gully something wicked. was kinda like being on a bridge. i nearly lost it there, and came out the end laughing like a maniac. lol. i spent that "lifetime" cursing the virago, calling her every name under the sun for being disobiedient.

just keep on riding, and hang on. some will disagree with me, but trust the bike to keep you safe. only step in when you feel the bike stepping out of line. [ie, crossing center line, or heading towards ditch.]

[Ixion]

just keep on riding, and hang on. some will disagree with me, but trust the bike to keep you safe. only step in when you feel the bike stepping out of line. [ie, crossing center line, or heading towards ditch.]

Well, I certainly would not disagree. That is excellent advice. Guide the bike, don't fight it, and relax.

[Scamp]

trust the bike to keep you safe

This is something I already do as I realise my bike has more skill than me. Hopefully one of these days soon my skill level will catch up with my bike and then overtake it.... :scooter:

[Manxman]

Does riding in the wind ever get easier? There's been a little bit of wind over the past 6 weeks (how long I've been behind the controls) and none of it seemed that bad, but today I felt like I was being pushed backwards. I had to give it more juice and then I felt like I couldn't hold my lines on corners.

Any advice for the newbie?

Mate, head down arse up usually works for me (as the actress said to the bishop)!!

There have been two occasions recently - going north between the ferry terminal and SH1/2 interchange - that have been fecken well-scarey for me. Almost blown into the middle lane 4-5 times in that stretch, which before I got a bike didn't think was possible (bikey mates talking it up, I thought, but true).

Yep, there's nothing like leaning into the wind, whilst going in a straight line, just to keep in yer lane...! The language that goes on inside your lid during all this is unprintable, but if you come out in one piece....woohoo.

[Hawkeye]

Thanks for the moral support there Hawkeye :dodge: :)

I told you I was going to get grief for my comment.:dodge:
Ok Coffees are on me on Monday:hug:

[NighthawkNZ]

The only reason Wellington is so windy is cause Auckland sucks... or is that the politains are full of hot air... its one of the two... or both :dodge: :dodge: :innocent:



As for riding in it... all the above is good advise...

[Guitana]

You all need to harden up!!! If you're not at an angle of 15 degrees to the road then you're not riding in wellington!! You get alot worse winds on the plains heading north,but why would you want to leave this tropical paradise???:dodge:

[quickbuck]

Last time I wanted to find out the answer to the age old question of "How do you handle the wind?", it cost me $300, and 40 points!

Yep, I was so busy working out exactly what I was doing, that the 600 crept to 130k.

Well, gyros are more stable at higher speed......

But I didn't argue the point and paid the fine 60 days later.